Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest-Chapter 332: The Secret of Names

Pleased by the answer, the corner of Adam’s lips curled subtly as he nodded. "You know what will happen if you still sell me."

He raised his flickering palm, his eyes curving. "Because if there is one immutable truth about anything you said, it is that you have no chance to even flee before me."

ROAR

Boosted by Muspelheim’s infernal heat, plasma roared in a fiery pillar that cleaved through the sky. Fiery tongues swirled, condensing into a giant sun threatening to vaporise any living being under its radiance.

An icy shudder ran down Behemoth’s spine. He had assumed to be slightly weaker based on Adam’s past reputation and achievements. After all, he himself was quite powerful, perhaps in the top ten lords, if not infinitely close.

But Adam’s strike, the heat distorting the sky, and the primal horror clawing at his heart left no doubt in his mind. The power difference wasn’t slight—it was enormous, unbelievable even. And what control! He watched Adam close his palm, snuffing the sun with a confident smirk.

Fortunately, he had only spoken the truth and had limited his interaction to a few friendly lords for years.

With a cough to calm his drumming heart, he returned Adam’s nod. "I engraved your warning in my memory."

"Good. Let us rest inside." Adam gestured to Achilles to bring the chariot down, then walked toward Behemoth as if he owned the place. "I have high expectations for you, so don’t try your luck."

Behemoth gestured for him to follow him inside the mountain, his earlier casualness replaced by a solemn frown.

After Achilles and Garduck joined them, he guided Adam through the cavernous mountain path, showing them the different rooms as they descended.

A moment later, they emerged in a blinding orange cavity filled with rhythmical clangors and brilliant sparks.

Adam studied the giant cauldrons hanging over magma, the hundreds of anvils stretching in neat rows, and the fiery-eyed and gray-skinned dwarfs pounding molten metal into sharp edges, pommels, or shafts.

He whistled at the factory-like feeling as Behemoth offered them a word of explanation. "This is my territory’s foundry, handled by the iron-forged dwarfs. They’ve long forgotten how their tribe ended in Muspelheim, but they somehow adapted to the heat. Much better, I can only praise their skills and dedication."

Adam nodded before Garduck cut them off with a grunt, his parched lips cracking just with the effort. "Please, bring us to a cold place before I cook inside out..."

They exchanged a glance before Behemoth chuckled. "Sorry for the delay. Follow me."

They followed him through the foundry, passing by a frameless opening lined with golden runes. Then, they descended deeper until they finally reached Behemoth’s royal quarters.

Adam studied the intricate tapestries covering the ground. In the middle, two onyx Eldjötnar protected an altar made from molten rock that pulsed with a bright magma glow. The core of the territory, a broad platinum badge, hovered proudly above it, showcasing the extent of Behemoth’s conquest.

But nothing mattered to Garduck and Achilles, not when an icy wind blew from a flickering magic circle by the table.

As if they had seen salvation in the eye, they rushed inside without manners and dropped to the ground with muffled moans.

"Ahh. I can’t believe the heat almost killed me, a demon," Garduck said, sprawled with a bright smile.

"I’ve been holding an egg this entire time." Achilles’ eyes narrowed as he cracked it and showed how well-cooked it was. "This realm is worse than hell. I’ll never visit it again!" He handed the egg to Garduck. "You need it more than me. Recover fast, even if it’s not your fault."

Adam joined them and retrieved three basins of fresh water from his magic cube with a smile. "Drink and rest while I talk with Behemoth. We move out in three hours."

They nodded before Behemoth sat with them.

An apologetic smile tugged at his lips as he sighed. "I don’t know about you, but I hate my species. I evolved from a pathetic inferior salamander to a powerful Eldjötnar. I was so small, you know? That’s why I chose Behemoth as my lord’s name—to defy the gods’ decision."

’A salamander?’ Adam’s breath caught in his throat. ’It’s worse than an imp! At least I had two hands and feet, but him?’ He couldn’t help but imagine the hardships Behemoth went through.

"Must have been hard. You did great, though. But why do you regret your name?"

Behemoth massaged his eyes, exhaling in frustration. "The nicknames were traps and most of us fell right into them. Names have power." His face darkened and his eyes narrowed into slits. "I learned about it a few years ago. We can’t progress to the ninth tier under fake names."

A deep furrow creased Adam’s brows. "That sounds weird. If the goal was to deny progression, why put a condition in the first place?"

"Because the gods don’t control the system. They can use it and bend a few rules as long as enough agree, but I doubt they designed it. Think about it. Most of them want you dead, so why don’t they allow one to descend and be done with it? No, Adam. The puzzle is complex, and we’re missing too many pieces to understand it. At least, I understand they offered us to choose to prevent us from threatening their rules." Behemoth shook his head in regret.

"Well..." Adam raised his palms and shrugged. "We don’t even know how all this reincarnation happened."

Behemoth’s eyes narrowed. "You don’t know either?"

"Nop. I remember I went to sleep before an important game. The next time I woke up, I was an imp inside a cave in the demon realm. Mimi doesn’t know either. The lords I subjugated said the same." Adam drank from his basin, pondering the mystery.

"I see..." Behemoth clenched his jaws, his fists trembling. "Anyway, you now know we’ll have no chance to kill the gods if we don’t find a method to change our names."

Adam’s lips curled into a smirk. "I used my real name because I was too shocked to think straight. Mimi did the same because of her age, so we’re fine."

Behemoth’s eyes widened. Even though the explanation made sense, who was stupid enough to use his real name in this uncertain situation? Not many, that he was sure of. And even less survived.

However, his shock only began as Adam’s smirk widened into something wicked, almost nefarious. "But it doesn’t really matter since I can change my name anytime. Hahaha!"